Reflective Account and Personal Development Plan for Research Protocol

This report presents a detailed reflective account on the process of developing a research protocol focused on the challenges faced by overweight pregnant women and potential solutions through educational programs. The report utilizes the Gibbs reflective cycle to analyze the researcher's experiences, including descriptions of the research process, feelings during different stages, evaluations of successes and failures, and an analysis of the reasons behind these outcomes. The main body covers the reflective account, which examines the development of the research protocol, including topic selection, literature review, and research methodology. The researcher reflects on the difficulties encountered, particularly in formulating the research methodology, and the positive aspects of the study, such as topic selection and the ability to quickly gather relevant information. The report also includes a personal development plan identifying skills that need improvement. The conclusion synthesizes the key findings from the reflective account, highlighting the critical skills and areas for improvement. The report emphasizes the importance of reflective writing for both academic and personal growth.

REFLECTIVE

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
Reflective Account......................................................................................................................3
Personal Development Plan.........................................................................................................9
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................17
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................18

INTRODUCTION
The practice of reflective writing is essential for an individual form the academic writing
purpose as well as for the personal purposes as well. Through reflection, an individual is able to
ascertain the innermost desires and thoughts that they possess and other general thoughts about
different experiences as well (Mei and Xiao-ling, 2017). In the present report, the reflective
account will be presented on the completion of the research protocol that was developed on the
chances to solve or minimise the problems that are faced by overweight pregnant women. This
report will include the reflection on the experience that the researcher had by using Gibbs
reflective model. Under this, the entire experience will be evaluated by categorising them into
several stages and evaluating thoughts on every stage. Further, in this report, the personal
development plan will also be prepared which will include the skills that need to be developed.
This will be presented after the reflective account where the necessary skills that need to be
developed will be identified and then included in the personal development plan.
MAIN BODY
Reflective Account
After the completion of the research protocol, it is now necessary to develop a reflective
account that can help in analysing the entire procedure and evaluating it in light with the
knowledge and learning that was developed (Azimi and Tamminen, 2019). After the preparation
of research protocol on the problems that overweight women face during pregnancy and how
these could be effectively reduced by the educational programmes, the current reflective account
will help in identifying what was my experience during the entire process of preparing research
protocol and what were the major points of learning that I developed throughout the procedure.
In order to complete the reflective activity comprehensively, it is necessary to use an
appropriate model or tool that can help in the assessment of the all the relevant aspects that are
related to the reflection. Gibbs reflective cycle consists of six different stages and at every stage
different aspect related to the evaluation of the entire experience that took place in the research
protocol (Gibbs and et.al., 2017). For the research protocol that I developed, I can use the Gibbs
reflective cycle in the following manner through those six different stages so that I can
exhaustively narrate and explore my entire experience on the research of problems faced by
overweight women during pregnancy:
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Description: Description is the first stage in which I have to detail and present all the facts that
are relevant to the experience which is to be analysed i.e. on which reflective account is to be
prepared. In this stage only the bare facts and other relevant details need to be included so that
the reader can develop basic idea about which the reflective account is being prepared and can
understand the background based on which the reflection on feelings, learning etc. will take
place and consequently analysis will be done (Gilbert, 2016). In the current reflective account
that I am preparing, it is basically to evaluate the entire process of research that I undertook on
the detailed analysis of the problems that the overweight women incur during their process or
period of pregnancy. Additionally, I not just recognised the problems that they faced but I also
developed a series of solutions that can be derived by making them knowledgeable through the
different educational programmes that are being run for such overweight pregnant women. It
mainly took me five months to complete the research undertaken on this topic. First of all I
developed appropriate aim and objectives required in order to complete the research proposal
and then I got them approved from my supervisor so that I could be ensured that I am going in
correct direction. Following this, I gathered relevant background information on the statistics of
overweight pregnant women and the education programmes developed specifically for them.
This, along with the detailed literature review that I conducted helped me in identifying the
current scenario that exists regarding the educational programmes, their popularity, awareness,
targeted and actual women participants etc. (Tesh and Kautz, 2017). Consequently, I developed a
comprehensive research methodology that would help in achieving the ultimate objectives that
have been developed and are also in accordance with the background data that has been gathered.
In this manner I identified the correct sample size and type of respondents that would contribute
maximum in the primary research that I am planning to undertake under my dissertation.
Feelings: Feelings is the second stage where I intend to ascertain what was my thinking at the
time of the development of research protocol and what were my feelings as well. The
identification of the different thoughts that were running through my mind at the time of the
entire experience or duration of preparing research protocol will be identified and presented by
me in this stage (Arumugam and et.al., 2017). This stage is also kind of descriptive only because
here I will simply state my feelings and thoughts that I had that time rather than analysing such
thoughts or feelings. During the research protocol that I was preparing, I clearly remember that
the research methodology was the most difficult task for me. I was constantly confused between
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a myriad of research options that were presented for every research tool. It took a lot of time for
me to first correctly identify each research tool and then analysing or understanding the
importance of that tool in the research. Then I had to further between the sub- categories of the
different tools that were identified. However, there were some activities in my research during
which I was extremely confident and happy as well in completion of the research. The selection
of my topic which I presented before the teacher was apprised by them stating that this is
something unique and different on which research undertaken will contribute significantly in the
existing literature (Hilliard, James and Batt, 2017). Further, I was also able to collect all the
relevant literature papers and the data that was required to complete background and literature
review section very quickly and that too by collection of only relevant details. The entire section
was very simple and comprehensive where I presented the analysis of arguments in a logical
flow thus avoiding the disruption. therefore, I can adequately state that there were times when I
was extremely frustrated and angry with the research activity that I was undertaking and I was
also in those scenarios where I was learning a lot more and I was also happy with the work that I
was performing.
Evaluation: Evaluation stage forms third component of the entire Gibbs reflective cycle where I
begin my analytical work. In this stage I am required to identify what were those activities or
experiences of mine that went extremely well and what were those experiences that were not so
well. I am also required to describe in detail the scenarios that rose around the good as well as
the bad things that I faced. This will help me in critically evaluating the entire research protocol
development process and contribute me in further stages of reflective account (O’Halloran,
2016). While evaluating the entire research protocol preparation process I can evidently say that
the entire research i.e. all the activities were good for me except for the research methodology
and its components formulation part. My topic selection and the research aim and objectives
were very well received by my supervisor and consequent to that, many of my colleagues asked
for my assistance in guiding them towards development of better aim and objectives for their
research too thus showing that this was a good experience. Additionally, the statistics that I
presented related to overweight pregnant women and the different challenges that they face was
also illustrative and appreciated because of its relevance. So this was the part that went well in
my experience but, when the third major section of developing and selecting correct research
methodologies came, it became very difficult for me. I was not able to easily choose between the
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lot of options that were available and I increasingly became entangled and confused amongst
different techniques, their relevance and in evaluation of the fact that whether they were perfect
fit for my proposed research or not (Dressler and et.al., 2018). Therefore, I became increasingly
concerned regarding the time that I was consuming for complete this particular section and the
constant problems that I was facing. Seeing me getting frustrated, my classmate suggested that I
should seek help of my supervisor and when I did this, I realised that I should have taken help
earlier because of a lot of my work done was not approved as it was not up to the mark.
Therefore, I had to modify majority of the part and thus my time as well as my efforts had gone
to waste, but still I was able to identify and learn many things from this part as well.
Analysis: In this stage where I am required to conduct an analysis of the reasons behind the
entire experience of research protocol. Here, I will identify the reasons behind the particular
experience being positive or being negative and the significant learning that rose from the
analysis of the positive or negative aspect that is related to my experience. I will also try to
synthesise what exactly went wrong or right in the research protocol that I was developing and
then consider the reactions that occurred due to this analysis (Cherkis and Rosciano, 2018).
According to me the reason that my topic and research aim and objectives were appreciated is
because there is not much research done on the identification of the educational programmes that
could help the pregnant women who are overweight in educating them about the manner in
which their problems can be minimised. The unique perspective that this research will present is
the major reason I think behind the appreciation and approval of the project topic. Further, since
I was clear on the core activity or aim that is to be achieved by my dissertation, therefore I was
able to easily identify the relevant data apart from the irrelevant one. I was also able to identify
those literature papers where any particular point that was presented by the authors could
contribute significantly in my research quickly and collectively, both these points were
significant in making my background analysis and literature review part successful. Therefore, I
can adequately say that these were the reasons i.e.my strong observation and analytical skills that
made me easily recognise what was important and relevant out of the irrelevant one (Tanaka,
Okamoto and Koide, 2018). However, I can easily identify the reason why my research
methodology part was not god as well. As I was conducting the research, I did not took
assistance of my supervisor as soon as I began getting confused which was the most disastrous
action for my research as this caused unnecessary delay, duplication of efforts and resources and
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also demotivated me both emotionally as well as physically. This was the main reason behind the
delay that was caused in the completion of research as well and because of the fact that I was
slow to take assistance of my seniors and supervisors it led to the entire process of research
methodology becoming negative for me in the whole process of research protocol formulation.
Conclusion: Conclusion is the stage where all the key findings through the entire reflective
account preparation that was done above are presented in a synthesised manner. Here I have to
collect relevant points from each stage that sum up the essence of what was talked about in that
stage and then I have to present it in a systematic manner without breaking the flow but also
without missing any key point. I will also highlight what were the key skills that I was able to
develop successfully and what are those on which I need to do additional work. On the basis of
the entire reflective account that I presented above on the preparation of research protocol on the
topic of use of educational programmes for overweigh pregnant women, I was able to conclude
that overall, my learning was very effective in this experience (Markkanen and et.al., 2020). This
was the first time that I have been personally tasked with the completion of the entire research
dissertation and till now the process has been very illustrative. First of all, I was able to research
about the pregnant women and the problems that they face and I can adequately say that during
this time my analytical skills and data collection skills were found to be excellent. This
concludes that my observation and data collection skills are excellent. Further, I can conclude
that it is extremely necessary to work with a cool and logical mind while conducting research as
it helps in widening the scope of thinking even if there are serious problems that are being faced.
This can be concluded form the problem that I faced during research methodology compilation
where I was able to overcome only by being calm because I felt extremely pressurised during
that duration. Another major conclusion that I can draw is that I should have sought the help of
supervisor as and when the problems began to get complicated (Li and et.al., 2020). This would
have helped me in better management ad completion of the research and it also concludes that
my time management skills are also not very well developed along with my poor research skills.
Additionally, I identified that my critical analysis skills are not very good as I was able to select
the relevant papers but I often got influenced with the view presented by one author and when I
read a view contrary to it, I often found myself disagreeing which should not have been the case.
Therefore, I can conclude that there are plenty of skills which I need to develop further but there
are certain skills which I have already developed and these can assist me further.
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Action Plan: The action plan is the last stage in the Gibbs reflective cycle and here I will
enumerate the future plan that I have for my own development and progress. In this stage I will
detail he things that I will never repeat in future i.e. what is the learning that I have developed
through this experience and which mistakes should I avid in future as well as the actions that I
should continue to perform or further even improve on them. I can adequately say that in future,
I will never try to do everything by myself. I will take adequate efforts but if I find myself in
confusion, then, I will immediately seek the help of the senior person or my guide so that I can
avoid any serious drawbacks (Emery and Chang, 2017). Next thing that I have learned is that in
future I will always tend to keep an analytical mind while try to critique different research papers
presented by different authors so that I can complete the literature review in its true essence and
do not compromise with the originality of the research undertaken. This will also assist in
improving the quality of work being performed. I can also evidently state that I will improve the
communication frequency with my colleagues or in the present case my classmates because if I
had been in touch with them, then, they would have told me how they are undertaking the
completion of research methodology aspect and thus this would have helped me in taking swift
and correct decisions on time. the time aspect further leads to me to state that in future, I would
give highest importance to the completion of the tasks within the given time i.e. meet the
deadlines because it is important that the work does not get extended unnecessarily (Dhaliwal,
Singh and Singh, 2017). I can evidently say that in future, my action plans i.e. my strategies and
plans to perform any task would be more systematic and well analysed where I would take into
consideration all the possible risks and then systematically analyse what are the correct steps that
I need to take. This will help in avoiding unnecessary complications and also rash decisions that
I might have taken otherwise. It will also lead to better time management and achievement of
goals in a better manner by improvement in the quality of work that is being undertaken.
Therefore, on the basis of application of the above Gibbs reflective cycle, it can be
evidently concluded that the different stages helped in ascertaining the different stages through
which I underwent and some of the points that I made in this reflective account, even I was
unaware of them in my conscious mind (Gibbs and et.al., 2017). I can also illustrate that the
learning that I developed on the problems faced by obese pregnant women is significant and will
help me vastly in the future research that I plan to undertake.
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Personal Development Plan
To address the problems I faced while undertaking the previous research protocol, I have created
a personal development plan, with the intention to improve my personal skills which
hampered my ability to complete the research protocol in an effective and efficient manner.
Development
Objectives
Activities Recommended to
Improve Skills
Resources
Required
Time
Duration
Feedback
Time
Management
As there is immense need for
me to improve upon my time
management skills which are
amongst the primary issues
that hinders my personal and
professional development in
both academic and
extracurricular activities, I can
undertake several activities
that would effectively improve
upon my time management
skills and allow me to
effectively work and complete
projects within dedicated
deadlines, which has always
been one of my personal issues
(Grit, 2019). The first activity I
can undertake to address and
enhance my subpar time
management skills is to work
on my personal assignments
which are assigned to me by
my superiors on some
dedicated deadlines which
would effectively allow me to
Personal
project to
practise time
management,
dedicated
schedules to
keep track of
timing
restrictions,
Clock
Two to
Three
Months.
To keep a track
of my progress
towards
improving my
time management
skills through the
various activities
I have
undertaken, I can
ask my superiors,
colleagues and
peers to evaluate
my discipline
with respect to
adhering to the
timing
restrictions,
deadlines and my
personal timing
schedule created
to improve my
personal time
management
skills. I can also
provide my own
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get first hand practise of how I
should be managing my time
and also bring to focus which
parts of various assignments
consume the majority of my
time, which can help me to
manage my timing restrictions
effectively in the future. To
further improve upon my
average time management
skills, I can create dedicated
schedules which would help
me keep a strict tract of my
limited time and allow for me
to allocate the correct amount
of needed time towards my
projects and research which
would immensely help in
improving my time
management skills
(PLANNING, 2018).
personal
feedback, as if I
am consistently
able to complete
my future
projects within
the prescribed
deadlines, while
sticking to my
created
schedules, that
would effectively
prove that my
time management
skills have indeed
improved.
Otherwise I need
to keep practising
the activities so
that my time
management
skills can be
enhanced.
Researching
Skills
Another major issue that I
faced and need to address for
my personal and professional
development in the future is
my current researching skills.
There is also a pressing need
for me to enhance my
researching skills which
Personal
projects and
assignments
to practise
research,
Libraries,
ICT devices,
tools and
Three to
Four
Months.
I can take the
feedback of
others to assess
my progress from
the activities I
have undertaken
to improve my
current research
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proved to be below average,
while I was undertaking this
research protocol and created
issues. To improve upon my
subpar researching skills, I can
practise researching for my
various projects and
assignments by making use of
both libraries and online
journals, as this would
effectively give me practise for
what information in the
research is relevant to me
prescribed topic and which
information is redundant
(Dahmarde, Khodabakhshi and
Rad, 2018). Practising
researching for my normal
projects and assignments
would also allow for me to
develop my comfortability
with using internet and
communication technology for
my research purposes, as my
unfamiliarity with making use
of ICT devices was a major
issue while conducting
research for this research
protocol. I should also keep a
track of which research
sources I have already
internet,
journal to
record past
used sources
skills. I can take
the feedback
from my teachers
and superiors
about the validity
and relevance of
the research I
have done in
relation to the
topic assigned to
me. I can also
take feedback of
my peers and
colleagues
relating to the
efficiency of my
research while
using libraries
and ICT tools.
Doing so will
effectively
improve my
overall
researching skills
and if not I need
to keep following
the methods
outlined in this
plan, until my
researching skills
have grown
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consulted in the past so that if
the need arises for me to again
consult the source of the
research I can effectively
identify it and not waste time
searching for it again as
happened a lot with this
research protocol, effectively
improving my researching
skills for my personal and
professional development.
enough to show
tangible results in
my personal and
professional
growth.
Problem
Solving
Skills
I also had major issues with
my problem solving skills
while undertaking the previous
research protocol. Most
problems I faced during the
making of previous research
protocol had immensely
negative impact on my mind
state, stressing me out and
diminishing my ability to keep
calm and think straight which
is nigh essential for effective
problem solving. One of the
biggest issues I faced during
the research protocol was
when I faced the problem of
women that were part of my
sample disagreeing on the
methods that would help them
address the issues plaguing
Assignments
and projects,
meditation
classes etc.
Five to Six
Months
To assess my
growth and
improvement
related to my
problem solving
skills I can ask
my teachers and
superiors for their
feedback which
would help me
assess how far
my problem
solving skills
under pressure
and stress have
improved. I can
also ask my peers
and colleagues
for their feedback
further improving
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